Exhaustion was not a state common to vampires in general but by the way he felt, as well as the looks on the rest of his companion’s faces, Ryeowook knew they’d all reached that threshold.  He leaned against Kyuhyun as much as the other vampire leaned back and they traveled at a considerably slower pace than normal.  Despite their ability to subsist for longer periods without food, the lack of finding suitable prey on the return trip from Phoenix was finally starting to show and none of them were faring well as a result.

                At the front of the spaced out column, Changjo stumbled, his feet tangling together briefly when it looked as if he forgot how to walk for a second.  By rote, Changmin reached out and caught his sleeve, lurching sideways when he wasn’t immediately prepared for the weight.  “Dammit,” the elder vampire cursed under his breath, pulling his shoulders back and trudging forward through the biting snow and wind.

                “Sorry,” Changjo responded, his voice a breath of sound in the frozen air.

                Ryeowook watched the exchange and then glanced up at Kyuhyun with worry.  They were always pale but the cold and the lack of food made them all look like corpses.  More so than usual.  The sight was… chilling to say the least.  “Is this normal?” he finally asked, shivering despite himself.  In good health, temperatures didn’t bother them, but now, it seeped into his bones and leeched what little energy he had left at all times.

                Kyuhyun shook his head and moved his arm to bracket Ryeowook’s waist, drawing him closer against his body.  “No.”  He wiped at his eyes where ice crystals were clinging to his lashes.  “It’s the prolonged cold and deprivation.  Even our perfection can only hold up so well in these conditions,” he forced a dry laugh, the sound harsh in the bitter environment.

                Still, it made Ryeowook smile to see a glimmer of his usual self there all the same.  “But we’re almost home, right?” he asked with a nod towards the front.  He couldn’t help but glance back to make sure that Sungmin and Hyosung were doggedly following at the rear and relief washed over him when he saw the pair huddled together, taking one step after the other.

                “Yeah.  It shouldn’t be long now,” Kyuhyun agreed while he stared ahead, eyes narrowed against the snowy breeze.  Nightfall was colder than usual and a small snow storm had overtaken them during the last leg of their journey, sapping what little energy they had left.

                They were all disappointed their journey had been unsuccessful and they could only hope Kangin’s party had more luck.  For now, home was the destination and while they’d been fortunate to avoid trouble and danger on the return trip, all of them felt a sense of unease bubbling beneath the surface.  It kept them looking over their shoulders and off to the side at all times, though none could explain why, least of all Kyuhyun, which perturbed the vampire to no end.

                “There!” Changmin shouted at the front, pausing to point straight ahead where they could just make out the entrance to the cave they called home.

                “About time!” Hyosung called from the rear, her voice thin and strained.  She’d given up on flying hours ago and her wings were carefully retracted lest they freeze.

                “Come on,” Ryeowook heard Sungmin murmur at the back, assisting Hyosung to the best of his already stretched ability.

                It was encouragement Ryeowook certainly didn’t need to hear more than once before he was being propelled forward with Kyuhyun’s insistence.  Changjo and Changmin disappeared inside first, leaving the door cracked for them to follow.  Warm air, relative to the outside, hit Ryeowook hard when he stepped in and he actually groaned at the sensation, feeling heat seep into his body so that his muscles could relax at the promise of a safe haven.

                “Welcome back,” N beamed when he hopped up from his stool and rushed to grab patchy blankets so he could pass them around.  Kiseop followed at his heels without hesitation, gaunt and quiet as always, but he shadowed N with accustomed ease.  “You guys look like death,” the Cha joked lightly while he laid a blanket around Changmin’s shoulders and then tended to Changjo who managed a weary smile.

                “You’re one to talk,” Changmin shot back, pulling the fabric closer with his one hand.  N ignored him with a snort and made a beeline for Kyuhyun.

                “Thanks,” Ryeowook smiled, gladly accepting the cloth from Kiseop.

                “You’re welcome,” he smiled in return and shuffled on, sights set to Sungmin and Hyosung.

                A quick glance around the interior showed that Sulli was sleeping peacefully beside her customary post, though this time, Taekwoon was keeping her company.  They weren’t touching, and as far as he knew, they were only friends, but Ryeowook appreciated how they looked out for each other.  It was nice.  Beyond them, the front of the cave was empty which meant that everyone else was sleeping.  That made sense enough considering it was quite late and not even the wolves were likely to be out in this weather.

                “Come.  Have a seat.  There’s nothing I can offer you right now but it’s nice to warm up a little bit,” N smiled and hurried over to the fire where he prodded the low flames into a reluctant, growing burn by adding a little more firewood.

                “We can deal with that in the morning,” Changmin sighed, weary to the bone.  There was no point in waking a wolf – or wolves – to see about replenishing what they’d lost.  It wasn’t fair to any of them.

                “Any word from Kangin’s group?” Hyosung murmured softly, folding her legs under her to kneel by the fire.  She was careful to keep her expression neutral but they all knew she was worried about Himchan.  There were only a limited number of Chas to provide air reconnaissance and both N and Kiseop shook their heads without meeting her gaze.

                “They did have a fair distance to go and maybe they found something that we didn’t,” Sungmin reminded her, maintaining his role of support even though they’d returned.  She nodded mutely but her expression didn’t ease any.

                “What other news?” Kyuhyun asked instead, keeping Ryeowook against his body with one hand rubbing up and down the other male’s arm, trying to generate additional warmth.  N made a face and shrugged, though he glanced back towards the rest of the sleeping rooms and obviously tried to figure out what to say.  “Oh?” Kyuhyun chuckled as he followed the look and smiled.  “That’s interesting.”

                “What?” Ryeowook asked, rather lost and a little bit concerned.

                “It’s nothing serious,” N promised while Kiseop tried to smother an amused smile.  “You stop that,” the other Cha glared which only made Kiseop fail more.  N rolled his eyes and gestured with his hands, “The space is getting a little… cramped.”

                “Were they fighting while we were gone?” Changjo asked without beating around the bush.

                N’s face went through a series of expressions while he tried to find a polite way to answer and then he just shrugged with a nod.  “Sort of.  Apparently Ken doesn’t like Jiyong getting close to his sister and that’s been an interesting matter altogether.”  He kept his voice low but threw his hands up in exasperation.

                “Doesn’t help that Chaerin likes him back,” Kiseop added with a mischievous smile.

                “You’re terrible,” N grumbled, smacking the other vampire lightly with his hand, though there was no heat in the exchange.  “They’ve had a couple ‘talks’ but nothing worse yet.”

                “They patrol together a lot, don’t they?” Ryeowook asked, recalling the initial lineup they’d devised for just that purpose.

                “Yes,” Kyuhyun answered for him with his lips pressed against Ryeowook’s head.  “They ride Geng together,” he added, quite sure of himself.

                “Anything else we should know?” Hyosung quirked a brow, knowing just how much of a gossip her creator was.  If nothing else, it was a better distraction than worrying about those they couldn’t see or confirm.

                “Why yes!” N gasped in delight, clapping his hands together gently.  “Jieun’s doing just fine, by the way,” he rambled briefly, tapping his bottom lip as he tried to think of what to catch them up on.  “Sungmin pretty much never leaves her side and Zico’s been having a time of figuring out how to deal with the wolf sharing the same space as them.  Oh!  And you should see the way Karam doesn’t know what to do with himself around Luna when she keeps going to Junhong for help on their regular runs, instead of her brother.  It’s so cute!” he giggled, clasping his hands together in delight.

                “You’re hopeless,” Changmin rolled his eyes, but he smiled at the news anyway.

                Ryeowook couldn’t help but snuggle closer to Kyuhyun and grin himself.  This part of getting back always made him happy to hear, even if they did have the occasional upset, like the Luna and Minsoo thing a few weeks ago.  He listened carefully while N, with the occasional interjection from Kiseop, laid out the stuff they’d missed while they were gone.  From what he could tell, Sunhwa was officially with Daehyun but then again, he wasn’t positive because lately, he was pretty sure she’d been with different… partners.  As such, both he and Kiseop were almost certain something was going to happen soon, but in the meantime, the rest of the group had settled into some sort of suitable dynamic.

                Yoochun and Byunghee weren’t exactly together but they were more than just friends.  That much they’d decided without actually confirming it outright.  Neither of them were surprised either since they had spent a great deal of time recuperating together.  They honestly weren’t sure what was going on with Amber yet, though they were running bets on Minho, Henry, and Soohyun.  And they thought there might have been something with Hyuk and Jongup but that was another setup they had decided was more than cute without actually confirming it.

                And when he ran out of “fun” things to talk about, the mood dropped and N exhaled dejectedly.  Kiseop slipped his hand into N’s and the vampire smiled wanly at the comfort.  “On the other side of things, we’re running low on food and fuel.  This place is protected but the patrols are having to go further and further just to find enough to live off of and I’m worried we won’t be able to sustain ourselves for much longer here.”

                Kyuhyun took a breath and nodded.  “Logistically, I was concerned about that as well.”

                “We all were,” Changmin grumbled with a frown, pulling the blanket off his shoulders irritably.  “It was just a matter of time.”

                “Has anyone brought it up yet?” Ryeowook asked with his head resting on Kyuhyun’s shoulder.

                N shook his head and glanced towards the back.  “We were waiting for everyone to be present before we brought it up.”

                “Makes sense,” Sungmin agreed quietly before he stood up and looked at the rest.  “If there’s nothing else, I think I will go rest for the evening.  It has been a long journey,” he gave a partial bow.

                “Go ahead, Min,” Changmin gestured.  “We’ll probably follow you before too long.”  Really, it was one of the best things to do when they were weary and didn’t have food immediately available.

                True to form, it didn’t take long for the rest of their small, exhausted group to opt out.  “You guys go ahead.  We’ll keep watch here and let you know if anything comes up,” N smiled as he looked to Kiseop for confirmation.

                “Of course,” the other Cha nodded, stilling holding N’s hand.

                “Okay,” Kyuhyun responded, getting to his feet and pulling Ryeowook with him.  “You ready?”

                Ryeowook nodded slowly but then paused as he looked up into Kyuhyun’s eyes.  “I want to see my brother first.”

                Kyuhyun’s lips turned up into an understanding smile and he kissed the top of Ryeowook’s forehead.  “I understand.  I’ll just go on then.  Come back when you’re ready.”

                “Thank you,” Ryeowook murmured, drawing close to hug Kyuhyun tightly, soaking in the feel of tired but strong arms wrapped around him.  Hyosung stayed behind to speak with N for a moment longer, though Changmin and Changjo headed back side by side.  A little while later, Kyuhyun left Ryeowook to his devices and the younger vampire padded into the carved out tunnel system in the dark, going on memory and following his brother’s scent.  He’d long since become accustomed to utilizing his sense of smell for locating people and it no longer bothered him in the slightest, even if humans did still find it somewhat creepy at times.

                Night vision was particularly useful in the caves too and he was just glad he didn’t make much noise when he walked since he really didn’t want to wake anyone up.  Especially JR.  Very carefully, he pulled the makeshift, plastic door open – they needed wood for the fire and fabric for blankets – and stepped inside, immediately recognizing Baekho’s smell nearby.  No one slept alone if they could help it and the wolves were known for sleeping in packs.  Body heat was a better way to stay warm than just blankets alone, regardless of the relationship the people shared.

                As he drew close, Ryeowook could see his brother curled under the blankets close to Baekho.  His face was nearly hidden, practically nestled under the other male’s chin, but there was nothing other than innocence present in the pose.  For a moment, Ryeowook felt a glimmer of sadness that his brother was otherwise alone, save for good friends and family, but… at least he did have those.  Baekho too was in a similar position so perhaps he should pity them both?

                With a shake of his head, Ryeowook drifted beside the bed, a rickety frame with a worn mattress and threadbare blankets, and smiled at his brother.  He very carefully reached his hand down to caress the longer, black locks and stilled when JR shifted once, whimpering in his sleep.  “I love you, JR,” Ryeowook affirmed while he traced the back of his fingers against his sibling’s cheek in a feather soft touch, the flesh slightly sunken in and gaunt.  Their new world didn’t treat any of them well, least of all the humans, and he had to stifle a cry at the unfairness of it all.

                For only a few moments more, he allowed himself to watch his brother sleep, knowing it would be more than creepy if the other knew he was there.  But he couldn’t help himself.  It was one of the few chances he had of simply being with him, no matter how one sided it was.  Swallowing harshly, Ryeowook backed away, careful not to disturb anything else in the meager room, and slipped out just as quietly.  He retreated to the cave he and Kyuhyun shared near the back of the underground system and stepped inside where another plastic door offered a modicum of privacy.

                “You alright?” Kyuhyun asked from the bed where he was seated on the edge facing towards the door, palms planted to either side of him.

                “Yeah,” Ryeowook nodded before he closed the distance and stood in front of the other vampire.  “I just…” he trailed off, hands rising and trying to help gesture where words failed.

                “Talk to me,” Kyuhyun commanded gently, grabbing Ryeowook’s hands to still their nervous motion.  When Ryeowook stayed quiet, Kyuhyun pulled him closer until their legs nearly brushed together.

                Ryeowook looked up to meet Kyuhyun’s eyes and he felt like he wanted to cry.  He had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could go on.  “It just seems so unfair,” he muttered, close to pouting.

                He expected some dry response from Kyuhyun: ‘It’s the end of the world.  What did you expect?’  Or at least something somewhat caustic like, ‘That’s life.’  He certainly didn’t expect the genuine reply.  “That’s because it is.”

                “Why?” he whimpered, finally letting his guard down in the privacy of their room.  They all kept a strong face up as long as possible so as not to drag others down, but here… it was too much to maintain and he let the walls crumble.

                Kyuhyun freed one hand to reach up and cup Ryeowook’s cheek, brushing his thumb under the nearest eye softly.  “Too many mistakes on all sides?” he whispered uncertainly, offering a possible answer but nothing definite.  Even one of the oldest Chos couldn’t know everything.

                “It’s not right,” he sniffed, feeling tears well on his lashes despite his best attempts to keep them at bay.

                “Come here,” Kyuhyun urged with a tug, pulling Ryeowook onto his lap and into his arms.

                Unresisting, Ryeowook folded against him where Kyuhyun cradled his head against a sturdy shoulder.  One arm wrapped around his waist to hold him tight while Kyuhyun rocked him gently in place, resting his cheek against Ryeowook’s head.  “Thank you,” he whispered at last, tangling his fingers in Kyuhyun’s shirt.

                Kyuhyun chuckled at the words and stilled.  “I should be saying that.”

                “Why?” Ryeowook couldn’t help but ask.  He knew he was difficult to train at times and somewhat hard to look after beyond the cave.  While he was getting better, he wasn’t entirely self-sufficient yet.  To be honest though, he hadn’t really had to try.  And they existed well together but they did heads more often than not.

                “Because you’ve stayed.”  It was not the response he was expecting.

                Ryeowook’s fingers tightened and he held very still.  “Am I like them?”  It was a topic they’d danced around and avoided almost unanimously for some time, but it felt right to ask now, when they were both vulnerable and in need.

                He was right in assuming Kyuhyun would know who he was talking about.  “You favor them in appearance,” he eventually answered slowly, as if afraid to say something wrong.

                “Is that all?” he pressed, both interested and afraid of the answer.

                “Yes,” Kyuhyun responded decidedly, leaving Ryeowook briefly confused.  Before he could ask for clarification, the vampire spoke again, “Because you are not them.  You are more,” he admitted, tightening his embrace.  “I know you hated me for turning you, but I do not regret it, Wookie.”

                 Ryeowook closed his eyes and tried to rein in the nervous coiling in his stomach, certain that Kyuhyun could feel it too.  But the other vampire didn’t say anything more and he finally pulled away enough to look up.  “Neither do I,” he whispered with the barest of sound as he pressed his hand against Kyuhyun’s face and searched his dark eyes.

                He leaned forward to close the distance between them, pressing their lips together in what was supposed to be a gentle, appreciative kiss.  Neither of them was ready for the immediate rush of hard to define emotions that washed over their unsuspecting bodies.  Emptiness and despair warred with a fiery desire to feel more than the cold and unfairness of the world, and Ryeowook leaned hard against the other vampire.

                Kyuhyun’s fingers were in his hair and his arms wrapped around the other male’s shoulders before he even knew what they were doing.  The only thing Ryeowook knew was that there were overwhelmed tears he couldn’t stop and he just needed something.  He needed to feel something other than the misery that threatened to fester inside him and he found the answer in Kyuhyun’s arms.

                Their lips moved with a feverish intensity, with teeth and tongues joining the dance hesitantly.  Fingers clenched and held tight, desperate to not let go, and even pressed together as hard as they could be, there still seemed to be too much distance between them.

                Ryeowook didn’t object when Kyuhyun eased them to the bed so they could both stretch out, legs tangling together in an effort to get closer.

                He didn’t complain when Kyuhyun eased on top of him, kissing him fervently while their hands roamed over each other’s bodies, fingertips scratching hard through too thick fabric.

                Ryeowook helped with butterflies swarming his stomach and shaking hands when they both fumbled out of the confining, trappings of their clothes, leaving them utterly uncovered and flushed in the cold dark of their room.

                Lost in each other’s presence, nothing else could touch them.  Not the cold.  Not the dark.  And certainly not the unfair world beyond.

(a/n: So a couple things didn't quite go as I initially intended but I do enjoy this chapter overall.  As some of you hoped, there was definitely some more KyuWook time here and I've sort of set things up to have a couple more things happen the next update.  I also tried to fill in a couple blanks here and there with the rest of our current group (yes, some people are still single and/or undecided).  lol  But we're making progress and I look forward to what's coming up for sure!  Thank you for being patient and I hope you look forward to the next installment as well!)